At church we have started a series on the book of Hebrews. This book is so focused on the nature of Christ, and how he is the ultimate fulfilment of all of God's Old Testament promises. It speaks of not only who Christ is, but of who he is to us, and what he has done for us, once for all.
This week we looked at Hebrews 2. It is a wonderful passage that speaks of how Jesus was made human, to become like us, his brothers and sisters. Jesus suffered death for us, in order that we might be brought to glory. Although he suffered on earth, he has now been crowned with glory and honour, with everything subject to him. This same Jesus is the one who is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters. The fact that the glorious king and judge unashamedly calls me sister is an amazing thing to think of.
I've just finished a subject at uni that looked at various heresies of the early church. The heresy of Docetism taught that Jesus only appeared to be human, and that he only appeared to suffer on the cross. But this passage clearly says that Jesus needed to be human in order to save his human brothers and sisters, to free us from the power of death and the devil. He was perfectly human, and perfectly divine. Verses 17 and 18 are such a reassurement when I am struggling with sin or weakness. Because Jesus lived as a human and experienced human frailty, he is a merciful and faithful high priest. Because he was tempted and because he suffered, he is able to sympathise with us, and is able to help us when we are tempted. This is such a wonderful God that we serve!
One question that came to my mind from this passage relates to verse 19, and the idea of Jesus being tempted. The gospels say that Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13). If Jesus was tempted, that raises questions as to whether he had the capacity to sin. I have no doubt in my mind that Jesus did not sin. He lived a perfect life when we were unable to. Temptation, however, suggests the desire to sin. Jesus stood against this temptation, but does this mean that he could have sinned if he had chosen to?
I've talked to a few people about this and have got some differing responses. Some people have said that Jesus was capable of sinning because he was fully human and like us in every way.
I think I lean towards the side of the argument that says Jesus was incapable of sinning. Sin is not just bad things that we do. The biblical concept of sin is about an intrinsic problem with our souls. We are born inherently sinful and the bad things we choose to do are a result of this sinful nature. Because of this nature, we also sin unintentionally. If we say that Jesus was capable of sinning, does this mean that he had that same intrinsic problem? I can accept that Jesus possibly was capable of doing sinful things (although he didn't) but I can't accept the idea of Jesus being inherently sinful from birth. I suppose, therefore, your response to this question depends on your concept of what sin is.
But, if Jesus was incapable of sinning, how do we interpret the passages about him being tempted? I don't think these passages prove that Jesus was capable of sin. It may be possible to feel temptation without actually being able to follow through on that temptation. I heard one argument that said Jesus felt temptation, like he was holding the weight of temptation, but he was unable to drop that weight. That's a possibility but I don't know if we can prove it definitely. Sometimes I really want to do something I'm incapable of doing, and that can be really frustrating. I suppose the desire can be there even without the capability. I don't know how much of this to attribute to Jesus though. After all of this discussion and thought, it is still largely speculative. I think this might be one of those concepts that our human minds cannot fully grasp.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Psalmody conference and little emo thoughts
My thoughts get away with me sometimes. I can attend a conference and not have too many issues with it, but then, when I hear something related to it the next day, things get out of perspective and I focus only on the issues; the straw that broke the camel's back, if you will. Other times, I run marathons in my mind, trying to grapple with questions that go nowhere. I can actually get quite emo when I'm left to contend with my thoughts. It's not always bad, most of the time I enjoy thinking about things but sometimes it's weird.
On Thursday and Friday I attended a conference for Psalmody, which is a ministry that focuses on encouraging Christians to go deeper in worship (http://www.psalmody.org/). It's very charismatic, and the worship sessions reflect that. At my church, we've done one of the Psalmody courses, learning about the biblical basis for praise and worship, looking at the Hebrew and Greek words that are translated as 'praise' and 'worship' in the English. The large majority of what I've heard in those talks is edifying and the course has really transformed the way I approach worship. I'll post a more detailed explanation of what I've learned about worship later, because there are some great things. Not everything's great, though. It does tend to lean sometimes towards prosperity teaching, although not in an extreme way, and infrequently.
I was initially hesitant going to the Psalmody conference. Although I tried not to, I focused on those things that I disagreed with in the teaching, rather than all the wonderful things that I had learned in the course. But generally, the teaching was good. Occasionally, little things that I wondered about, but nothing that caused me to walk out denouncing the preachers as heretics. I'm trying to think of them now, and I can't actually remember what they were, which is probably a good thing. But I do remember I had some interesting discussions with people afterwards! The main idea of the talks was making sure that God is the foundation of everythign that we do. That any ministry or initiative we take in any sphere of life is something that God wants us to do, that we keep coming back to God as the foundation of our life. So often we can go ahead with things in our lives, even with ministries, without remembering that it is God that builds his house and God that causes everything to grow. It's a challenge to get back to that place of dependency and humility before God. There was also a real focus on worship, and how important it is. Worship is not just singing, but is an attitude of adoration towards the Lord. It is moving towards him, responding to his presence. It is something that can involve our whole life.
After the talks, there was generally a time of what can possibly be called 'free worship'. I don't know if that's the best way to describe it, but that was the terminology I heard. There was time at the beginning when we all sang, but this was more spontaneous. Some people were speaking in tongues, some people were singing, most people had their hands in the air, some people were dancing. My mum was getting right into it, dancing around at the back! I don't have a problem with any of that theologically, but I didn't quite know what to do. I didn't feel anything like the other people probably did. Which doesn't mean God isn't still there, so I just thought about God for a bit. But, seeing people getting into that free worship is a challenge. I probably won't speak in tongues, but it is a challenge, for me and many others (I don't know if it's a cultural thing or a denominational thing) to be freer and less inhibited in worship.
I actually received a few words for myself during the conference, both of which related not to jumping around crazy in worship but about being quiet and contemplative before the Lord. The first was Luke 2:19, in which Mary treasures and ponders things in her heart. The second was a phrase: 'quiet, unshakeable conviction in who Christ is and in what he has done.' So, when the pastor said during the last worship session to move in what God was leading, while everyone else was jumping around and cheering, I just stood completely still, just thinking about how infinitely good God is. Maybe I'm not supposed to jump around like everyone else, but maybe there is something to that aswell.
The conference also ran yesterday and today, but I felt a peace about not going. Although I found a lot of the conference helpful, it was hard work for me, so I needed a rest just to think about all I had experienced and heard. So, after going to church today, I started getting all emo in my thoughts again. It's not that I don't like the charismatic expression of worship, but it seems sometimes that's the only kind of conferences we go to, and I started stressing out about the need to find that balance between deeply worshipping God and deeply getting into his word, being passionate about being in the Lord's presence, and about declaring his gospel message to others. I know that my stress was most likely unfounded and out of perspective. In fact, even after spending about half an hour typing all this, I'm feeling better about all of it. God is good, anyway.
On Thursday and Friday I attended a conference for Psalmody, which is a ministry that focuses on encouraging Christians to go deeper in worship (http://www.psalmody.org/). It's very charismatic, and the worship sessions reflect that. At my church, we've done one of the Psalmody courses, learning about the biblical basis for praise and worship, looking at the Hebrew and Greek words that are translated as 'praise' and 'worship' in the English. The large majority of what I've heard in those talks is edifying and the course has really transformed the way I approach worship. I'll post a more detailed explanation of what I've learned about worship later, because there are some great things. Not everything's great, though. It does tend to lean sometimes towards prosperity teaching, although not in an extreme way, and infrequently.
I was initially hesitant going to the Psalmody conference. Although I tried not to, I focused on those things that I disagreed with in the teaching, rather than all the wonderful things that I had learned in the course. But generally, the teaching was good. Occasionally, little things that I wondered about, but nothing that caused me to walk out denouncing the preachers as heretics. I'm trying to think of them now, and I can't actually remember what they were, which is probably a good thing. But I do remember I had some interesting discussions with people afterwards! The main idea of the talks was making sure that God is the foundation of everythign that we do. That any ministry or initiative we take in any sphere of life is something that God wants us to do, that we keep coming back to God as the foundation of our life. So often we can go ahead with things in our lives, even with ministries, without remembering that it is God that builds his house and God that causes everything to grow. It's a challenge to get back to that place of dependency and humility before God. There was also a real focus on worship, and how important it is. Worship is not just singing, but is an attitude of adoration towards the Lord. It is moving towards him, responding to his presence. It is something that can involve our whole life.
After the talks, there was generally a time of what can possibly be called 'free worship'. I don't know if that's the best way to describe it, but that was the terminology I heard. There was time at the beginning when we all sang, but this was more spontaneous. Some people were speaking in tongues, some people were singing, most people had their hands in the air, some people were dancing. My mum was getting right into it, dancing around at the back! I don't have a problem with any of that theologically, but I didn't quite know what to do. I didn't feel anything like the other people probably did. Which doesn't mean God isn't still there, so I just thought about God for a bit. But, seeing people getting into that free worship is a challenge. I probably won't speak in tongues, but it is a challenge, for me and many others (I don't know if it's a cultural thing or a denominational thing) to be freer and less inhibited in worship.
I actually received a few words for myself during the conference, both of which related not to jumping around crazy in worship but about being quiet and contemplative before the Lord. The first was Luke 2:19, in which Mary treasures and ponders things in her heart. The second was a phrase: 'quiet, unshakeable conviction in who Christ is and in what he has done.' So, when the pastor said during the last worship session to move in what God was leading, while everyone else was jumping around and cheering, I just stood completely still, just thinking about how infinitely good God is. Maybe I'm not supposed to jump around like everyone else, but maybe there is something to that aswell.
The conference also ran yesterday and today, but I felt a peace about not going. Although I found a lot of the conference helpful, it was hard work for me, so I needed a rest just to think about all I had experienced and heard. So, after going to church today, I started getting all emo in my thoughts again. It's not that I don't like the charismatic expression of worship, but it seems sometimes that's the only kind of conferences we go to, and I started stressing out about the need to find that balance between deeply worshipping God and deeply getting into his word, being passionate about being in the Lord's presence, and about declaring his gospel message to others. I know that my stress was most likely unfounded and out of perspective. In fact, even after spending about half an hour typing all this, I'm feeling better about all of it. God is good, anyway.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Outreach night
The last time I posted we were leading up to our youth outreach night, and I was feeling frustrated. But now, after the outreach night, I am so thankful to God, and know that I should have been trusting in him all along. Usually our youth outreach nights are for members of both our highschool group and young adult group to invite friends. Last night was nearly entirely made up of highschool kids, with even some primary school kids aswell. A much younger crowd than we were expecting. Our young adults leader, who was giving the talk, had to quickly adapt the talk for that audience, and did a fantastic job. It was such a relevant message for the kids, and really got them involved aswell. There was so much energy in the youth group, more than we're used to!!
After the talk was the opportunity for kids to pray and give their life to the Lord, or to rededicate their lives. Three kids gave their life to the Lord, two friends of youth group kids, and one youth group girl who's been coming to church her whole life. A few other kids rededicated their life. Best moment: one of the kids who had never been to church before asked his dad if he could come back to church on Sunday...and he was there this morning! Praise the Lord for his great faithfulness and his great power in drawing people to himself. Now the important work starts, the follow-up. Hopefully these kids can start coming to youth group regularly.
After the talk was the opportunity for kids to pray and give their life to the Lord, or to rededicate their lives. Three kids gave their life to the Lord, two friends of youth group kids, and one youth group girl who's been coming to church her whole life. A few other kids rededicated their life. Best moment: one of the kids who had never been to church before asked his dad if he could come back to church on Sunday...and he was there this morning! Praise the Lord for his great faithfulness and his great power in drawing people to himself. Now the important work starts, the follow-up. Hopefully these kids can start coming to youth group regularly.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Outreach and discipleship
I've been thinking today about the need for discipleship. We are called as Christians to reach out to people who don't know Christ, and in our church we've started having outreach services once a month on Sundays, and youth outreach service once every few months. The gospel message is preached and people have the opportunity to pray 'the salvation prayer' at the end. In many of these services, we get some people who give their lives to the Lord, or rededicate their lives, or who at least show interest in finding out more about God. Praise the Lord for that! The really frustrating thing is, there never seems to be any lasting fruit. People come closer to God during that service, but we as a church are still working out how to go about growing these infants in Christ, or these seekers, through discipleship. It seems that we are always so busy in our church, with so many things that are intrinsically good: worship conferences, ACC meetings, not to mention our own work and study schedules. But, because of so many things happening, the welcome barbeque that has been planned a few times never seems to happen. Nothing is done with the contact details that we obtain during outreach services. I'm as much at fault here as anyone else. This is something that has been put on my heart today, as we prepare for our next outreach service tonight, that I really need to get involved in follow-up, to see people grow in Christ.
It reminds me of the parable of the sower mentioned in the gospels (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:1-15). Jesus speaks of four kinds of seeds, which can be likened to four kinds of people who hear the gospel message. The first seed falls on the path, where birds eat it up. Sometimes the evil one snatches the message away before the person can hear it. The second and third seeds grow initially, but don't continue, either because the soil was shallow and the sun caused them to wither, or they were choked by the other plants around them. This is like some people, who can hear the gospel message and want it for their life, but fall away when they get back to living their old life, and do not grow because there was no opportunity. God is completely sovereign and he can work in people's lives in any circumstance. Sometimes people go later to other churches and grow, or sometimes a seed is planted that will grow much later. But, I believe that if we are praying for souls to come to the Lord, and if we are holding outreach services, then we need to be ready for follow-up, to disciple those people who are the answer to our prayers. There is a fourth type of seed mentioned in the parable: that which falls in good soil and produces a crop, a hundred times what was sown. These are the people who hear the word, who accept it and who continue to grow in maturity. I am still growing, and I'm praying that other people can too.
It reminds me of the parable of the sower mentioned in the gospels (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:1-15). Jesus speaks of four kinds of seeds, which can be likened to four kinds of people who hear the gospel message. The first seed falls on the path, where birds eat it up. Sometimes the evil one snatches the message away before the person can hear it. The second and third seeds grow initially, but don't continue, either because the soil was shallow and the sun caused them to wither, or they were choked by the other plants around them. This is like some people, who can hear the gospel message and want it for their life, but fall away when they get back to living their old life, and do not grow because there was no opportunity. God is completely sovereign and he can work in people's lives in any circumstance. Sometimes people go later to other churches and grow, or sometimes a seed is planted that will grow much later. But, I believe that if we are praying for souls to come to the Lord, and if we are holding outreach services, then we need to be ready for follow-up, to disciple those people who are the answer to our prayers. There is a fourth type of seed mentioned in the parable: that which falls in good soil and produces a crop, a hundred times what was sown. These are the people who hear the word, who accept it and who continue to grow in maturity. I am still growing, and I'm praying that other people can too.
Friday, August 21, 2009
It's been a little while since I've posted here.
Over the last week, there has been some discussion, and some rather heated debate, about the issue of demon possession. Yeah, it's a heavy topic that a lot of people don't like to think about much (I'm probably included in that category) but it's something that is relevant to our church at the moment. One person who has attended our church for a while has received deliverance prayers because it is the opinion of some of our prayer team that this particular person has demons, due to their deep involvement with Hindu spirituality in the past. I don't want to speculate one way or the other whether this person is demon possessed, but I am really wanting to shape my view first from the Bible rather than what I am experiencing or seeing. I believe that the Bible is the standard by which I can interpret the experiental.
Demon possession is mentioned in Scripture. Throughout his ministry on earth, Jesus healed people who were sick and delivered people who were possessed by demons (eg. Mark 5:1-20, Matthew 17:14-23). I'm not sure how common demon possession is, but I can see from the Bible that it is possible for people who aren't Christian. Where I disagree with the guest preacher who visited my church last week, is that I don't believe a Christian can be possessed by demons. By 'Christian' I mean someone who trusts in Jesus' death and resurrection, and therefore has received the Holy Spirit, not just someone who goes to church. Every Christian still struggles with sin, and needs to keep putting the old self to death. Christians can definitely be tempted by the devil, or by demons. I do not believe, though, that a demon can dwell in the same place as the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament, the presence of God was symbolised by the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. When sinful people tried to enter into the presence of God, they died. Evil cannot dwell in the same place as God's holiness. Corinthians 6:19 says that the physical body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit. As the presence of the Lord dwelt within the Tabernacle or the Temple in the Old Testament, the presence of the Lord dwells within Christians through the Holy Spirit.
I'm still thinking about this issue and talking about it with people. Most of the people at church I've talked to tend to agree with me, but a few don't. This is just a quick presentation on what is a really complicated topic.
Over the last week, there has been some discussion, and some rather heated debate, about the issue of demon possession. Yeah, it's a heavy topic that a lot of people don't like to think about much (I'm probably included in that category) but it's something that is relevant to our church at the moment. One person who has attended our church for a while has received deliverance prayers because it is the opinion of some of our prayer team that this particular person has demons, due to their deep involvement with Hindu spirituality in the past. I don't want to speculate one way or the other whether this person is demon possessed, but I am really wanting to shape my view first from the Bible rather than what I am experiencing or seeing. I believe that the Bible is the standard by which I can interpret the experiental.
Demon possession is mentioned in Scripture. Throughout his ministry on earth, Jesus healed people who were sick and delivered people who were possessed by demons (eg. Mark 5:1-20, Matthew 17:14-23). I'm not sure how common demon possession is, but I can see from the Bible that it is possible for people who aren't Christian. Where I disagree with the guest preacher who visited my church last week, is that I don't believe a Christian can be possessed by demons. By 'Christian' I mean someone who trusts in Jesus' death and resurrection, and therefore has received the Holy Spirit, not just someone who goes to church. Every Christian still struggles with sin, and needs to keep putting the old self to death. Christians can definitely be tempted by the devil, or by demons. I do not believe, though, that a demon can dwell in the same place as the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament, the presence of God was symbolised by the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. When sinful people tried to enter into the presence of God, they died. Evil cannot dwell in the same place as God's holiness. Corinthians 6:19 says that the physical body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit. As the presence of the Lord dwelt within the Tabernacle or the Temple in the Old Testament, the presence of the Lord dwells within Christians through the Holy Spirit.
I'm still thinking about this issue and talking about it with people. Most of the people at church I've talked to tend to agree with me, but a few don't. This is just a quick presentation on what is a really complicated topic.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Praise for answered prayers
Just a little example of how God is faithful and how he answers prayer. Yesterday was the first day of Sunday School for the new term. Sunday School generally runs smoothly but there are a few difficulties that occasionally arise. The first one is that there is hardly anyone in the girls' class, and often no-one to teach them when the girls actually do turn up. The second one is that the boys, who are in my class, can get really rowdy and distracted, and two of them in particular can get aggressive towards eachother. High energy and noise in Sunday School is fine...it's just when they're so distracted they don't actually learn anything then it's a problem.
So, it's always really important to pray before a lesson. I prayed that God would bring the kids in my class to church, and that they would be settled and able to learn. I also prayed that there would be some girls, and that the girls' teacher would turn up (she'd been very busy over the last few days with family commitments so I wasn't sure). The service started and there were very few kids. During the time of worship and singing at the start of the service, they arrived: about five boys (this is almost all the regulars) and one girl. The girls' teacher arrived about five minutes before Sunday School started! Praise the Lord for this answer to prayer!
The boys in my class were lovely, and were very attentive. We played some games to get them running around, but then when it was time for the lesson, they paid attention and showed they were actually learning the main concept. Of course there was some noise and some silliness but nothing that got out of control. We're looking at the book of Ephesians over the next few weeks, so yesterday the kids looked at the idea that God has adopted us as his children. The kids can now pronounce the word 'Ephesians' which is more than they could do at the beginning of the lesson! I am so thankful to God for how he answers our prayers in so many different ways.
So, it's always really important to pray before a lesson. I prayed that God would bring the kids in my class to church, and that they would be settled and able to learn. I also prayed that there would be some girls, and that the girls' teacher would turn up (she'd been very busy over the last few days with family commitments so I wasn't sure). The service started and there were very few kids. During the time of worship and singing at the start of the service, they arrived: about five boys (this is almost all the regulars) and one girl. The girls' teacher arrived about five minutes before Sunday School started! Praise the Lord for this answer to prayer!
The boys in my class were lovely, and were very attentive. We played some games to get them running around, but then when it was time for the lesson, they paid attention and showed they were actually learning the main concept. Of course there was some noise and some silliness but nothing that got out of control. We're looking at the book of Ephesians over the next few weeks, so yesterday the kids looked at the idea that God has adopted us as his children. The kids can now pronounce the word 'Ephesians' which is more than they could do at the beginning of the lesson! I am so thankful to God for how he answers our prayers in so many different ways.
Monday, July 27, 2009
UCA National Assembly
I suppose it's time to write about all the things that happened at assembly before I forget even more. I was part of the prayer team for the ACC, praying for the Uniting Church National Assembly that was held at UNSW. I thought it would be similar to the prayers that we have been having at home as part of the Sacred Season (the last two posts) but in many ways it was very different. God did some amazing things, but I also found it very challenging. Lots of things to think about.
I'll start with the things to praise God for. One of my friends from church was a National Assembly delegate, and this was her first time. She stirred up some animosity among some people because she was always dissenting and calling people back to biblical principles. Praise the Lord that he gave her words of wisdom and truth to speak. The really amazing thing is that at the end of the assembly, even after all the conflict, she was elected into the Uniting Church Standing Committee. This is the National Committee that is mainly made up of experienced church leaders. It is actually the first time in history that someone has gone to only one Assembly and been elected. This is a big praise point because she will be able to have a lot of influence in this position, and will be able to use this to push for biblical faithfulness.
Praise God that some members of our prayer team were able to pray with the President and General Secretary of the church. These church leaders received these prayers with no hostility. The opening sermon given by the President was verging on pluralism, addressing the 'God of the Cosmos', while, miraculously, the closing sermon was very Christ-centred, talking about Christ being the only way to the Father. Although some of the propositions that we were praying against were passed, God has left us with hope for the future of the church. There have been prophetic words coming out of this prayer time, talking about the Uniting Church being brought back to faithfulness, and even being used to lead other churches to greater faithfulness to God. There were also some words about the ACC youth which is starting up soon - that's what I'm going to be involved in.
One thing that was really challenging for me was processing things without my usual support network. My mum and some of my close friends were there also, but were involved in deep prayer or were delegates at the Assembly, so I didn't actually get to have conversations with them that much. I suppose this is God trying to teach me to be more dependent on him.
I believe that God is going to continue to do great things, particularly within the young people of the ACC in the near future. At the moment, I really want to draw nearer to God, to go to him first, worshipping him, reading his word and serving him.
I'll start with the things to praise God for. One of my friends from church was a National Assembly delegate, and this was her first time. She stirred up some animosity among some people because she was always dissenting and calling people back to biblical principles. Praise the Lord that he gave her words of wisdom and truth to speak. The really amazing thing is that at the end of the assembly, even after all the conflict, she was elected into the Uniting Church Standing Committee. This is the National Committee that is mainly made up of experienced church leaders. It is actually the first time in history that someone has gone to only one Assembly and been elected. This is a big praise point because she will be able to have a lot of influence in this position, and will be able to use this to push for biblical faithfulness.
Praise God that some members of our prayer team were able to pray with the President and General Secretary of the church. These church leaders received these prayers with no hostility. The opening sermon given by the President was verging on pluralism, addressing the 'God of the Cosmos', while, miraculously, the closing sermon was very Christ-centred, talking about Christ being the only way to the Father. Although some of the propositions that we were praying against were passed, God has left us with hope for the future of the church. There have been prophetic words coming out of this prayer time, talking about the Uniting Church being brought back to faithfulness, and even being used to lead other churches to greater faithfulness to God. There were also some words about the ACC youth which is starting up soon - that's what I'm going to be involved in.
One thing that was really challenging for me was processing things without my usual support network. My mum and some of my close friends were there also, but were involved in deep prayer or were delegates at the Assembly, so I didn't actually get to have conversations with them that much. I suppose this is God trying to teach me to be more dependent on him.
I believe that God is going to continue to do great things, particularly within the young people of the ACC in the near future. At the moment, I really want to draw nearer to God, to go to him first, worshipping him, reading his word and serving him.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Bible study questions
An interesting issue that's arisen during Bible study. We were up to the part of Ephesians where it talks about children obeying parents and parents training their children in the Lord. This led to the question of whether adults still need to obey their parents, and if not, then when do children transition into adulthood. The passage does not explicitly answer these questions, which led to people giving their own answers which were largely based on cultural assumptions. So there were a few different opinions. I suggested the idea that when a person is no longer living in their parents house they are no longer bound to obey in the same way, although we are always called to honour them. I don't hold this to be a definite principle because I can't find biblical verses one way or the other (maybe they are there, but I'm still looking). Another person in the study, who is from the Tongan culture and who is about the same age as my parents, suggested that children are called to obey until their parents pass away. The conversation became quite heated!
I've been asking pretty much everyone that I see what they think about these questions. If anyone's reading this out there, I'd be interested in hearing what you think. Probably will have to post later once I've looked in to more of what the Bible says on this topic.
Cultural differences aren't necessarily a bad thing. The important thing is to translate biblical principles into whatever culture we are in, and to hold the Bible's truth above all traditional and cultural values. It's also important to remember the freedom that we have in Christ, and not to get legalistic about issues that are open to intepretation. It's a real learning experience to be in a Bible study with people that are all different ages, different cultures and different theological backgrounds. Considering what we've been learning about in Ephesians, though, it's been a great way to get practical about unity.
I've been asking pretty much everyone that I see what they think about these questions. If anyone's reading this out there, I'd be interested in hearing what you think. Probably will have to post later once I've looked in to more of what the Bible says on this topic.
Cultural differences aren't necessarily a bad thing. The important thing is to translate biblical principles into whatever culture we are in, and to hold the Bible's truth above all traditional and cultural values. It's also important to remember the freedom that we have in Christ, and not to get legalistic about issues that are open to intepretation. It's a real learning experience to be in a Bible study with people that are all different ages, different cultures and different theological backgrounds. Considering what we've been learning about in Ephesians, though, it's been a great way to get practical about unity.
Friday, July 10, 2009
A righteousness from God
Recently, I've been listening to podcasts of sermons from the Sydney Anglican website. Listening to these kind of sermons online is a great way for me to still get in depth Bible teaching even though I'm out teaching Sunday School during the sermon at church. I've been listening to a series from St. Thomas' Anglican that goes through the first five chapters of Romans. I've really been enjoying the depth and richness of doctrine that is found in the book of Romans. Lots of things to sink my teeth into intellectually, but it also engages my heart in thankfulness when I realise how sinful all humans are and how holy and faithful God is.
The sermon I was listening to yesterday was about Romans 3:21-32, which is a completely amazing passage. The book has just been talking about how not even one person is righteous, and that all people deserve God's judgement, and then the good news breaks through with 'But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify'. (Romans 3:21). We had absolutely no chance of being righteous before God, but God himself has provided our righteousness through Jesus Christ. This righteousness comes through faith in the one who gave us this gift, not through our own works.
The thing that really struck me in this sermon was thinking about the three things that Christ did for us through his death on the cross. They all result in bringing us to the Father, but they deal with different aspects of the problem. Firstly, Jesus justified us. Through trusting in his death, we are declared innocent even though we are guilty. Secondly, Jesus redeemed us. He paid the price to free us from sin and death. Thirdly, Jesus atoned for us. That lovely big word called 'propitiation'. Through Jesus dying in our place, the anger of God was satisfied. These things that Jesus has done for us mean that we no longer have to be separated from God. We can come close to God, and inherit eternal life in Heaven. Reflecting on the grace and love and glory of God as seen through the cross fills me with thankfulness and adoration.
The sermon I was listening to yesterday was about Romans 3:21-32, which is a completely amazing passage. The book has just been talking about how not even one person is righteous, and that all people deserve God's judgement, and then the good news breaks through with 'But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify'. (Romans 3:21). We had absolutely no chance of being righteous before God, but God himself has provided our righteousness through Jesus Christ. This righteousness comes through faith in the one who gave us this gift, not through our own works.
The thing that really struck me in this sermon was thinking about the three things that Christ did for us through his death on the cross. They all result in bringing us to the Father, but they deal with different aspects of the problem. Firstly, Jesus justified us. Through trusting in his death, we are declared innocent even though we are guilty. Secondly, Jesus redeemed us. He paid the price to free us from sin and death. Thirdly, Jesus atoned for us. That lovely big word called 'propitiation'. Through Jesus dying in our place, the anger of God was satisfied. These things that Jesus has done for us mean that we no longer have to be separated from God. We can come close to God, and inherit eternal life in Heaven. Reflecting on the grace and love and glory of God as seen through the cross fills me with thankfulness and adoration.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Sacred Season of Prayer and Fasting
My church is in a Sacred Season of Prayer and Fasting at the moment. We are joining with members of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations (http://www.confessingcongregations.com/) all over Australia, and are praying for the Uniting Church as a whole. Many parts of the Uniting Church are leaning towards liberal or progressive theology, and the authority of scripture and the centrality of Christ is being lost. It's pretty serious stuff and its spread widely throughout the denomination. That's why a 40 day period of prayer and fasting has been declared - we're up to day 26, just 14 to go! The Assembly of Confessing Congregations (ACC), of which my church is a part, is committed to confessing Jesus as Lord and staying faithful to the gospel that is proclaimed in the Bible. There is no other Lord than Jesus - salvation comes from no-one else but Jesus. God alone is worthy of our praise! These are foundational truths that need to be upheld.
I've been fasting from 6am to 6pm, so I have breakfast and I have dinner but I don't eat anything in between. It's been hard getting used to it, because I haven't really fasted before but it could be worse. Some people are doing a complete fast and only having liquids. One person that I know of is only having water for the whole 40 days. That's incredibly full on, but it shows the passion that people have for biblical faithfulness and Christ's centrality within the church. Fasting isn't commanded in the Bible, but there definitely are examples of it. For this situation, fasting is a way to come humbly before God, to mourn for the way our church has gone and to pray fervently.
I have been encouraged by the deepening sense of unity that has arisen in my church as a result of this sacred season. Each day has pretty much the same structure, and there are many opportunities throughout the day to meet with eachother and with God. I have really loved the focus on God and all the different ways available to do this. The day starts at 5:45 am (!) with a communion service. I don't go to this every morning, sometimes I need a sleep in, even though it is at my house. When I have gone to communion, it's been beautiful. A really gentle service with lots of sung responses and bible passages. It's just a small service but it's really worthwhile, when I can actually be motivated to get out of bed at that hour. I'm usually better if I have a shower before I go downstairs!
In the middle of the day are our Bible study and liturgy prayers. Mostly we have the same group of people coming each day, and I'm getting to know these people really well. I've been given the ongoing task of writing the Bible studies for the sacred season. Each day I lead a Bible study looking at a passage from Ephesians. It's an awesome book, so relevant and practical to what's going on at the moment. In the first few studies, people were pretty quiet and didn't come up with many ideas. Now, I can hardly get a word in! Everyone keeps on talking about the ideas, and asks deep questions about the passages, which is what a Bible study is supposed to be, in my opinion. It is wonderful to look at the Bible in such depth and to talk about it with other Christians.
The liturgy prayers are more formal, and follow the same pattern every day. We start with a call to worship and then have a selection of Bible readings. We also read a paragraph from the Uniting Church Basis of Union each day. This document is actually very theologically sound, so I suppose we do this to declare the truth that so much of the church has gone away from. We then read a prayer that is based on the Bible passages and the doctrines presented in the Basis of Union. It's very structured but I like it being structured and formal. There's also a prayer meeting each day, but I don't go to that. I went for a few times but the prayers were too long for me. We have some people who are incredibly powerful intercessors, and they can pray for hours! I found myself getting bored, and if that's what happens then its probably better to not go, but to let them pray for however long they need to. I pray at home, in my own room. Maybe that's something I need to grow in.
The National Assembly for the Uniting Church is coming up very soon, so our prayers are focused on that. It's a really big thing that's happening, but God is in control of it all, and God is good!!
I've been fasting from 6am to 6pm, so I have breakfast and I have dinner but I don't eat anything in between. It's been hard getting used to it, because I haven't really fasted before but it could be worse. Some people are doing a complete fast and only having liquids. One person that I know of is only having water for the whole 40 days. That's incredibly full on, but it shows the passion that people have for biblical faithfulness and Christ's centrality within the church. Fasting isn't commanded in the Bible, but there definitely are examples of it. For this situation, fasting is a way to come humbly before God, to mourn for the way our church has gone and to pray fervently.
I have been encouraged by the deepening sense of unity that has arisen in my church as a result of this sacred season. Each day has pretty much the same structure, and there are many opportunities throughout the day to meet with eachother and with God. I have really loved the focus on God and all the different ways available to do this. The day starts at 5:45 am (!) with a communion service. I don't go to this every morning, sometimes I need a sleep in, even though it is at my house. When I have gone to communion, it's been beautiful. A really gentle service with lots of sung responses and bible passages. It's just a small service but it's really worthwhile, when I can actually be motivated to get out of bed at that hour. I'm usually better if I have a shower before I go downstairs!
In the middle of the day are our Bible study and liturgy prayers. Mostly we have the same group of people coming each day, and I'm getting to know these people really well. I've been given the ongoing task of writing the Bible studies for the sacred season. Each day I lead a Bible study looking at a passage from Ephesians. It's an awesome book, so relevant and practical to what's going on at the moment. In the first few studies, people were pretty quiet and didn't come up with many ideas. Now, I can hardly get a word in! Everyone keeps on talking about the ideas, and asks deep questions about the passages, which is what a Bible study is supposed to be, in my opinion. It is wonderful to look at the Bible in such depth and to talk about it with other Christians.
The liturgy prayers are more formal, and follow the same pattern every day. We start with a call to worship and then have a selection of Bible readings. We also read a paragraph from the Uniting Church Basis of Union each day. This document is actually very theologically sound, so I suppose we do this to declare the truth that so much of the church has gone away from. We then read a prayer that is based on the Bible passages and the doctrines presented in the Basis of Union. It's very structured but I like it being structured and formal. There's also a prayer meeting each day, but I don't go to that. I went for a few times but the prayers were too long for me. We have some people who are incredibly powerful intercessors, and they can pray for hours! I found myself getting bored, and if that's what happens then its probably better to not go, but to let them pray for however long they need to. I pray at home, in my own room. Maybe that's something I need to grow in.
The National Assembly for the Uniting Church is coming up very soon, so our prayers are focused on that. It's a really big thing that's happening, but God is in control of it all, and God is good!!
Monday, July 6, 2009
The new chapter
I love thinking about God. I love getting into the word of God and sorting out theological issues. So it's been put on my heart to start up a new blog, not about the random things that happen in my life, but about God, about the Bible, about what's happening in my Christian walk and in my church.
It's been an interesting year in regards to being spiritually fed, very different to the last 6 years. This is my first year away from CU. It's right for me to thank God for all that CU gave to me, and then to move on to a new chapter of life, but I kind of miss it. For the last 6 years, I was getting very evangelical, Sydney-Anglican style teaching at CU and more gently charismatic stuff at church. I loved both, and I love being able to worship and serve God in different ways. One thing, though, in both places I sometimes felt slightly outside. A bit too charismatic for CU and a bit too evangelical for my church! But mostly I loved receiving the balance of both traditions. I was able to talk to people in both places about the theology or style of worship I was receiving elsewhere. The tensions between some of the theologies has worked for good as these tensions have given me a passion for getting straight to the Word and seeing what it says about things.
Now, I'm just at my church, which is evangelistic and Biblically-centred, but much more charismatic than the churches many of my friends go to. I've grown a lot in the charismatic tradition this year, developing a biblical understanding of lots of issues. I'm still definitely evangelical as well, and I'm really excited about the young adults Bible study that's started up this year at my church.
The verse for this blog is Psalm 119:105 - 'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path'. I think about lots of things, sometimes way too much. The only way to find real guidance and any real answer is to look in the Word of God. It has answers to so many things, and, most of all it has the ultimate answer: Jesus. Jesus is the answer for our biggest problem of separation from God. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus paid for my sins so now I have a relationship with the Father! I love to praise him with hands in the air jumping around. I love to worship him in quiet adoration. I love to get right in there and understand complex theology about my God.
It's been an interesting year in regards to being spiritually fed, very different to the last 6 years. This is my first year away from CU. It's right for me to thank God for all that CU gave to me, and then to move on to a new chapter of life, but I kind of miss it. For the last 6 years, I was getting very evangelical, Sydney-Anglican style teaching at CU and more gently charismatic stuff at church. I loved both, and I love being able to worship and serve God in different ways. One thing, though, in both places I sometimes felt slightly outside. A bit too charismatic for CU and a bit too evangelical for my church! But mostly I loved receiving the balance of both traditions. I was able to talk to people in both places about the theology or style of worship I was receiving elsewhere. The tensions between some of the theologies has worked for good as these tensions have given me a passion for getting straight to the Word and seeing what it says about things.
Now, I'm just at my church, which is evangelistic and Biblically-centred, but much more charismatic than the churches many of my friends go to. I've grown a lot in the charismatic tradition this year, developing a biblical understanding of lots of issues. I'm still definitely evangelical as well, and I'm really excited about the young adults Bible study that's started up this year at my church.
The verse for this blog is Psalm 119:105 - 'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path'. I think about lots of things, sometimes way too much. The only way to find real guidance and any real answer is to look in the Word of God. It has answers to so many things, and, most of all it has the ultimate answer: Jesus. Jesus is the answer for our biggest problem of separation from God. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus paid for my sins so now I have a relationship with the Father! I love to praise him with hands in the air jumping around. I love to worship him in quiet adoration. I love to get right in there and understand complex theology about my God.
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